At last we had a rainy day here in Northern California! So we scuttled our plans to have grilled hamburgers and went with a rainy day soup. The clam chowder I make is not the thick type you usually associate with New England clam chowder but a much lighter one that depends on homemade shrimp stock and bottled clam juice for most of its liquid with only a small amount of half and half or heavy cream to enrich it.

I use canned minced clams and its liquid for the clam portion but I peel and dice the potatoes and slice the leeks, celery, and onions by hand. Luckily I have thyme and tarragon still growing on the patio. We made extra soup for two reasons. Our daughter joined us for this dinner and proclaimed it as “Great!” a rare accolade. Also since she and I are leaving for a mom and daughter trip on Thursday I wanted some leftovers for John. Although he is totally self-sufficient in the kitchen I know he will appreciate a few easy dinners while we are gone.

I garnished my bowl with broken up pretzel sticks because someone ate up the oyster crackers. Actually they were quite good on top. They did not get mushy fast and added a nice pop of saltiness.